Effective Strategies For Teaching Vocabulary To University Students

Teaching vocabulary to university students is a challenging but rewarding task. It requires a well-structured approach that combines direct and indirect instruction methods. Direct instruction involves explicit teaching of words and their meanings, while indirect instruction focuses on learning words through conversations, reading, and other interactive activities. Providing context is essential for effective vocabulary instruction, as it helps students understand and retain new words. Teachers can use various strategies such as visuals, games, and interactive activities to make vocabulary lessons engaging and memorable. Additionally, encouraging independent learning and providing opportunities for repeated exposure to words can enhance students' vocabulary skills. Ultimately, the goal is to help university students develop a strong vocabulary that will improve their reading, writing, and oral communication abilities.

Direct and indirect instruction

Direct Instruction

Direct instruction is an intentional focus on words and their meanings, with teachers using a variety of methods to help students learn new vocabulary directly. This approach may involve pre-teaching, graphic organizers, or discussing usage and grammatical implications. Teachers can also demonstrate the usefulness of words and show students how authors choose particular words to convey certain meanings. For example, teachers can use word cards and word webs to develop vocabulary skills. Direct instruction is particularly useful for teaching words essential to understanding specific lessons. However, research shows that students can only learn around 8-10 new words per week through this method. Teachers can also introduce strategies for identifying word components, such as prefixes, roots, and suffixes, and promote independent vocabulary acquisition skills by teaching students how to use reference materials like glossaries or dictionaries.

To effectively teach vocabulary through direct instruction, teachers should:

• Offer students a language and literacy-rich classroom environment.
• Demonstrate enthusiasm for and exhibit a committed personal interest in word learning.
• Treat vocabulary learning as an active, generative, integrative, and cognitive process.
• Provide students with multiple exposures to focal words in multiple contexts over an extended period.
• Provide multiple opportunities for students to use new vocabulary in oral and written language, as well as in novel contexts.

Indirect Instruction

Indirect vocabulary instruction involves students learning words and their meanings through daily conversations and independent reading. Teachers should consistently use new and interesting words as part of classroom instruction and read aloud to students to encourage them to read independently. Teachers should also provide opportunities for both direct and indirect vocabulary instruction. For example, if a vocabulary word in your unit is "monarch," instead of merely referring to King George III as the leader of Great Britain at the time, use the word "monarch" as much as possible.

Other Methods

In addition to direct and indirect instruction, there are other methods that can be used to teach vocabulary. These include vocabulary games, such as matching games using flashcards, word scavenger hunts in reading texts, and charades. Teachers can also use pictures to help students remember new words, especially when teaching abstract words. For example, displaying a picture of a bridge can help students remember the word "necessary" by asking them, "Why is coffee important?" and eliciting the response, "It's necessary to increase energy levels."

Using visuals

Visuals are a great way to teach vocabulary to university students. They can help students to understand the meaning of words and concepts, especially when these are new to them. Here are some ways to use visuals effectively:

Firstly, ensure that the visual is inferable. This means that students should be able to draw meaning from the visual regardless of their background knowledge. For example, when teaching the word "capitalism", some students might not know the word "profit", and some might think of state capitals or capital letters when they hear the word "capital". However, with a visual, it becomes easier to infer that profit is money, and that capital is the idea and the money that makes the idea happen.

Next, use open-ended questions that refer to the visual. Combine these with opportunities for students to discuss the questions in small groups. This helps students to think deeply about the word and make connections to other vocabulary words or concepts. It also gives them a platform to learn from each other. For example, when teaching the word "necessary", you could display a picture of a cup of coffee and ask students, "Why is coffee important?" to elicit the response, "It's necessary to increase energy levels."

You can also incorporate visuals into a story. For instance, after teaching a few words with visuals, use them in a story, pausing for the class to say each target word. The story could go something like this: "My friend and I decided to watch a movie, but the theater is on the other side of the river. We had to cross a [visual of a bridge] to get there. We immediately bought some popcorn. In my opinion, popcorn is [visual of popcorn] to enjoy a good movie! Before the movie started, we put our phones on silent mode. Using your phone during a movie is not only rude, it’s not [visual of a phone with a red 'X'] in most theaters."

Another way to use visuals is to have students make their own flashcards. They can look up vocabulary words online and find pictures that show the definitions. They can then print the picture, glue it on a card, and write a sentence to help them remember the word. On the back of the card, they can write the definition. Students without internet access or those who are more visual learners can draw the pictures themselves. These flashcards can then be used to create a word wall, where new and current vocabulary words are displayed for students to see and read daily.

Finally, remember that a visual is only as effective as the opportunities students have to interact with it. Ensure that you refer to the visual and ask students questions based on it.

Contextual information

It is important to expose students to words in multiple contexts, as this helps them understand the nuances of a word's meaning and how it is used in different situations. For example, the word "allow" can have different implications depending on the context. In a classroom setting, a teacher might say, "Texting during class is not allowed." On the other hand, in a social context, a parent might say to their child, "You are allowed to have a treat after you finish your dinner." By providing varied contexts, students can grasp the different shades of meaning that a single word can convey.

Another way to provide context is through the use of visuals. Displaying images or drawings related to the target word can help students associate the word with a concrete representation. For instance, when teaching the word "bridge," showing a picture of a bridge can help students remember the word more effectively. This technique is especially useful for abstract words that may be challenging to illustrate through language alone.

In addition to visual aids, teachers can also provide contextual information through storytelling. By incorporating target vocabulary words into a narrative, students can see how the words fit into a larger context and how they contribute to the flow of a story. For example, a teacher might say, "My friend and I decided to watch a movie, but the theater was on the other side of the river. We had to cross a [bridge] to get there." By pausing before the target word, the teacher allows students to actively process the word's meaning in the context of the story.

Finally, it is essential to recognize that vocabulary instruction should be tailored to the students' level and needs. At the university level, the focus is typically on high-frequency words and their meanings in context. This aligns with the skills tested on standardized exams and those required for academic success. Teachers can emphasize context by encouraging students to use new vocabulary words in their writing and speaking, providing feedback when words are used incorrectly, and offering opportunities for repeated exposure to the words.

Games and activities

Word Association

This game can be played in pairs or small groups. Each participant says a word related to a given topic, and the next person responds by stating the first association term that comes to mind. The game continues until someone repeats a word or takes a break. This game can be adapted for an online setting by having the first participant, usually the teacher, say the word, and the other players respond in the chat window.

Scattergories

This game is simple and entertaining for adult students. One participant chooses a letter by rolling a letter dice or using a letter generator. Players then have 60 seconds to list a word beginning with that letter for each category. Players receive one point for each correct term and double or triple points for alliterative phrases. The player with the most points at the end of each round wins.

Visual Dictionaries and Graphic Organizers

Students can create their own visual dictionaries or graphic organizers by drawing a picture for each word and including its definition, part of speech, and use in a sentence. These visual representations help enhance memory recall and provide a comprehensive tool for studying.

Flashcards and Matching Games

Create flashcards with vocabulary words and their definitions. These can be used for matching games or the game Hedbandz, where each student tucks a vocabulary card into their headband without looking, and their teammates give them clues until they guess the word.

Scavenger Hunt

Send students on a scavenger hunt in dictionaries or authentic reading texts like magazines and newspapers to discover new words and their meanings.

Diagrams and Sketches

Divide students into small groups and provide each student with a different phrase or term. Each student has a set time to sketch a picture representing the phrase, and then they pass the sketch to the next person, who writes what they think the phrase was based on the picture. This continues, alternating between drawing and writing, until it returns to the original student.

Acrostic Poems

Students can create their own acrostic or cinquain poems using the vocabulary words they are learning. This adds creativity to the learning process and helps with memorization.

Tiered vocabulary

Tier 1 vocabulary consists of high-frequency words that are most commonly used in spoken language and do not typically have multiple meanings. These basic nouns, such as "house", "dog", and "phone", are often acquired by learners before starting school. Learners can continue to develop their Tier 1 vocabulary through daily conversations with their peers and teachers, alongside their formal learning.

Tier 2 vocabulary is also high-frequency but is predominantly used in written language. These words, such as "analyse", "context", and "sufficient", are more complex, nuanced, and academic. They can have multiple meanings and require a higher level of literacy to comprehend. Tier 2 words are powerful because of their wide applicability to many types of reading.

Tier 3 language requires learners to have a certain level of subject knowledge to understand the specific terminology. For example, words like "hypotenuse", "tectonic", and "photosynthesis" are used by subject specialists such as historians, artists, scientists, and engineers. Tier 3 vocabulary is the specific language used in the classroom to teach these subjects.

A tiered approach to vocabulary instruction is important to help teachers provide targeted instruction and support learners in understanding why and when to use certain words and phrases. It can also help learners develop their vocabulary and become confident communicators.

Frequently asked questions